Marine acoustic transducers and sonar are used by recreational boaters and sport fishermen as aids to navigation and fishing as the transducers and sonar locate various underwater objects and schools of fish. In general terms, a transducer is a device, such as a piezoelectric crystal of photoelectric cell, that converts one form of input energy of another form into output energy of another. A marine acoustic transducer or sonar emits and captures sound waves reflected back to the transducer or sonar and converts the reflected sound waves into visual images of the surface of the water bottom or of fixed or moving objects, such as fish, located below the surface of the water and above the water bottom. These images are displayed on a device or apparatus for viewing.
Marine acoustic transducer or sonar systems that are used for recreational boating or sportfishing are comprised of a watertight pod or housing containing the sound emitting and capturing device (i.e., the marine acoustic transducer or sonar pod), a cable connecting the marine acoustic transducer or sonar pod to a power source (such as a marine battery or generator), and a video monitor or screen for viewing the images of the water bottom and underwater objects. The marine acoustic transducer or sonar pod is attached below the surface of the water to the hull of a watercraft, usually the transom, and the video monitor or screen is located on the bridge or section of the watercraft adjacent to operating and navigation controls.
The marine acoustic transducer or sonar pod is usually attached to the transom of a watercraft with threaded fasteners, screws, bolts, or the like, which necessitates drilling one or more holes into the transom or other section of the hull of a watercraft. This method of attachment suffers from several disadvantages. The holes bored into the transom or hull of the watercraft can cause water to leak into the inner cavity between the inner and outer transoms and hulls or otherwise damage the transom and hull of the watercraft. Furthermore, the marine acoustic transducer or sonar pod attached to the hull or transom of a watercraft is more or less permanently attached thereto. Relocation of the marine acoustic transducer or sonar pod is difficult and time consuming, requiring an additional set of holes to be drilled into the transom or hull of the watercraft and filling in the original set of drilled holes.
The instant invention thus introduces a transducer transom adapter that overcomes the aforementioned disadvantages of attaching, locating, or otherwise securing a marine acoustic transducer or sonar pod to the transom or hull of a watercraft. The adapter, with a marine acoustic transducer or sonar pod attached thereto, is releasably secured, affixed, or otherwise temporarily attached to the transom or hull of a watercraft to situate the marine acoustic transducer or sonar pod at an optimum location and orientation below the surface of the water. The adapter is fitted onto and over the transom of a watercraft and maintains the marine acoustic transducer or sonar pod at the optimum location and orientation below the surface of the water during varying speeds of the watercraft and water and environmental conditions. During non-use of the watercraft or marine acoustic transducer or sonar pod, the adapter with marine acoustic transducer or sonar pod attached thereto is simply lifted off the transom of the watercraft and stowed until subsequent use.
The existence of an adapter to releasably secure or attach a marine acoustic transducer or sonar pod to the transom or hull of a watercraft in the manner of the instant invention is unknown at the present time. For example, numerous designs for transducer transom adapters and other transom adapters and devices have been provided in the prior art. Even though these designs may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, they would not be suitable for the purposes of the present version of the invention as the transom adapters are elaborate in design and construction, consisting of a multitude of components and requiring one or more fasteners to be permanently attached or otherwise secured to the transom or hull of a watercraft. These designs are exemplified by the following patents:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,624,438, “Adjustable Outboard Transom,” issued to Goodman, Jr. on 25 Nov. 1986 teaches an adjustable outboard transom having a pair of transom mount brackets bolted in spaced relationship to the transom and a pair of slotted motor mount brackets which support an outboard motor and cooperate with the transom mount brackets in sliding relationship, respectively, for vertical adjustment of the outboard motor. A shaft with a nut on one end rotatably connects the transom mount brackets and a pawl and ratchet mechanism cooperates with the shaft to facilitate incremental shaft rotation by applying a wrench to the nut. A pair of cable mounts secured to the motor mount brackets anchor each end of a cable which is wound around the shaft and bolts extend from the cable mounts through the slots in the transom mount brackets, respectively. Raising and lowering of the motor mount brackets and the outboard motor is facilitated by rotation of the shaft to selectively wind and unwind the cable on the shaft.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,907,208, “Sonar Transducer Assembly For Fishing Boats,” issued to Lowrance et al. on 6 Mar. 1990 teaches a sonar transducer assembly for a fishing boat that provides electrical signals corresponding to an image of the area surrounding the boat on both sides thereof based on sound echoes received by the transducer assembly. The transducer assembly comprises a transducer housing mounted on the transom of the boat so that the bottom surface thereof is at substantially the level as the hull of the boat in the normal position of the transducer housing, and such that the transducer housing can move rearwardly and upwardly in response to hitting an object in the water. The housing is generally bullet-shaped and houses a plurality of individual transducers directed in different directions away from the hull of the boat so as to provide scanning of areas of the water beneath and on both sides of the boat.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,109,364, “Transducer For High Speed Boats,” issued to Stiner on 28 Apr. 1992 teaches a sonar transducer assembly adapted to be mounted on the transom of a boat and includes a shaped transducer device comprising a housing, a mounting bracket assembly to be connected to the transom, a connector stem having a faired leading edge that connects the housing to the mounting bracket assembly, and a pivotable member that supports the transducer device. An elastomeric insert controls the force necessary to cause release of the connection to provide “kick-up” when the transducer device strikes an object in the water.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,186,428, “Depth Gauge Transducer Retractor Device,” issued to Falkenberg on 16 Feb. 1993 teaches a retractor device for selectively positioning a depth gauge transducer into the water or retracting it to an upwardly facing position above the water line. A compound lever system allows for rotation of the transducer assembly.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,425,003, “Acoustic Transducer Mounting Clamp,” issued to Horn on 13 Jun. 1995 teaches an acoustic transducer mounting clamp for holding an acoustic transducer against a test surface utilizing fatigue resistant adhesive and a gel couplant. A base and a holder formed to the base holds the acoustic transducer in contact with the test surface. The fatigue resistant adhesive maintains positioning of the acoustic transducer, and the gel couplant facilitates transmission of acoustic energy from the test surface to the acoustic transducer.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,791,902, “Portable Fish Finder,” issued to Steiner et al. on 14 Sep. 2004 teaches a portable fish finder device with a housing that defines a wrap cavity for receiving a signal cable that communicates between a depth finder device and a transducer attached to the water craft. The depth finder device pivotally mounts to the housing to move between a storage position and an extended position. The cable winds into the wrap cavity for storage and unwinds when the depth finder is in use.
As illustrated by the background art, efforts are continuously being made in an attempt to develop devices for attaching a marine acoustic transducer, sonar pod, or other apparatus to the transom or hull of a watercraft. No prior effort, however, provides the benefits attendant with the present invention.
As such, it may be appreciated that there is a continuing need for a new and improved adapter for releasably attaching a marine acoustic transducer or sonar pod to the transom or hull of a watercraft. The adapter also permits the marine acoustic transducer or sonar pod to be easily detached from initial location of attachment at transom or hull for relocation on the transom or hull or for storage during non-use thereof. In these respects, the present version of the invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus that substantially fulfills this need. Additionally, the prior patents and commercial techniques do not suggest the present inventive combination of component elements arranged and configured as disclosed herein.
The present invention achieves its intended purposes, objects, and advantages through a new, useful and unobvious combination of method steps and component elements, with the use of a minimum number of functioning parts, at a reasonable cost to manufacture, and by employing only readily available materials.